It was almost unheard of at the time, but in 1999 Steven Benbow founded The London Honey Co. with a clear goal in mind: “for pure, natural food to be brought back into the heart of the city, and for food to come straight from where it is made without interference.” The idea of letting a quality ingredient speak for itself was key and so, the company was born.
Quickly after their launch, they were invited to visit some incredible, iconic rooftops like Fortnum and Mason, and the Tate art galleries. Fast forward 20 years from when The London Honey Co. was founded and their honeycomb is now a regular feature on plates by chefs like Angela Hartnett, Marcus Waring and Skye Gyngell. When Steven created The London Honey Co. he was missing his rural Shropshire roots, and was eager to bring a bit of the countryside into his life.
Inspired on a daily basis by the beauty, purity and craftsmanship of the bees and their honey, the company is still sticking true to their roots.
They still love working alongside the bees, and are proud to have been the first to start urban beekeeping as it continues to grow and expand in the UK (and worldwide!) with Steven writing a book called ‘The Urban Beekeeper.’ Although they strongly focus on their honey, this isn’t the only product they make – honeycomb and handmade 100% beeswax candles are also part of the London Honey Co. range.
Since the health benefits of natural honey is known all over the world, it’s important that their honey is always unpasteurised and minimally filtered, so it retains its natural properties. The zesty, complex honey comes from their rooftop beehives, and this inspired the team to site honeybees across various parts of England. Why? To capture the variety of the isles landscapes in single origin, raw honey. These include ling heather, Kent woodsage and Salisbury plain wildflower to name a few. They’re also proud to source honey from other like-minded beekeepers, to offer an incredible range of honey. Here are our three favourite products at the moment:
Oxfordshire Honey
The Oxfordshire Honey, natural and made in the UK, is gathered from the rolling hills of the Cotswolds. The honeybees pollinate broad beans and visit hedgerows, tangled with brambles and honeysuckle so this honey has floral hints of all three, and has a mild, floral sweetness making it perfect for baking.
Ling Heather Honey
The London Honey Co.’s natural honey has all of the hazy flavours of the late British summer. For the Ling Heather honey in particular, it has a strong, aromatic flavour. Collected from beehives on the Long Mynd in Shropshire, it’s almost jelly-like in consistency, distinguishing it from other honey. Perfect with yoghurt, fruit or granola!
No.2 Beeswax Stubby Candles
Not only making honey, the company have expanded to include other beeswax essentials. These hand-dipped candles are made from 100% British beeswax and come beautifully presented in a hand-stitched gift box with embossed bee logo. Hint: they have the subtle, sweet aroma of an English summer, not dissimilar from the taste of their honey.
As well as looking after their own beehives, they also look after honeybees on behalf of others, including Fortnum and Mason, and supply incredible chefs, stores and producers with their quality honey. A truly unique and meaningful brand.
